stand still~ part one

Have you ever been in the place where you look back at all the promises God has given you, (not to mention the promises in His Word) and say my life is not what the Word says it should be? My dreams have not been realized, I am not living in victory or that abundant life the Lord promises us in John 10:10. I am in that place as I write, a place of reflection.

God never promised us a life of tiptoeing through the tulips; Jesus said “in the world you will have tribulation” and then He encouraged us by saying: “be of a good cheer I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). James tells us that the testing of our faith produces patience and we are to let patience have its perfect work. Why? So we will be complete lacking nothing.

Test and trials come to every believer no one is exempt from this. What we do in these trials will determine our growth, maturing in our faith. It’s OK to question what’s going on. It’s OK to ask the Lord “where are You?” “Why isn’t this coming to pass?“

Look at what the Psalmist says in Psalm 77: “my spirit ponders: will the Lord reject forever? Will He ever be favorable again? Have His promises come to an end? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Sometimes you get in a place of questioning; AND IT’S OK. Just don’t stay in that place… that place can lead to despair and hopelessness. Ask the questions and move on. My experience has been that the Lord will either encourage me to continue standing or give me direction.

God’s direction may be that you have missed the mark somewhere; or you have bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart; maybe you’re not walking in love with others, or you have unrepented sin. Regular heart check ups are good to do. If all is OK, where do you look next?

Well what is your mouth saying? Is it in agreement with the Word or are you griping and complaining or speaking doubt and unbelief about your situation? This is an area where most of us miss it. We walk by what the circumstances are screaming at us and not by faith. When delays come, ultimately faiths confession will bring you the victory. So make sure your mouth is lining up with the Word of God.

You might be thinking OK Maria, I’ve done all that….now what? That brings me to two scriptures:

In Exodus 14:13 Moses and the children of Israel had their backs up against the Red

Beautiful Sky- taken today in Franklin, TN

Sea with the Egyptians coming at them fast and furious; Moses said to them “fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”.

Then Ephesians 6:13-14 tells us: “and having done all, to stand: stand therefore”. When we have done all humanly possible, we are simply required to stand.

I will leave you with two statements….

~Standing is not passive; but active

~Standing is a position of rest and trust

Next week I will continue this thought of “standing still” and give you an idea of what “standing still” entails.

I would love to hear your thoughts….

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